Socket wrench set and holder therefor



June 6, 1933. H. G. RICE SOCKET WRENCH SET AND HOLDER THEREFOR Filed April 22', 1929 .sition and firmly but releasably heldin such Patented June 6, 1933 HAROLD e. RICE, or CHICAGO, ILLInoIs,

INDESTRO MANUFACTURING c0312.,

y ILLINOIS Application filed A ril 22,

This invention relates to that type of socket wrench set which includes a plurality of sockets of various sizes and one or more handle members adapted to be interchangeably used with the sockets. v

The principal object of the invention is to provide a socket wrench set in which the parts arecompactly arranged in packed popacked position. i l

1 Other ob'ects of the invention are to provide an improved holder for a socket wrench set such as above referred to; to pro vide -a holder of light weight construction which will be sufficiently rigid to withstand the usual hard service to which wrench sets such as here contemplated are often subjected; to provide a simple and efiicient holder which can be manufactured at a low cost so as not to add materially to the cost ofa complete socket wrench set, i. e., one including a holder; and, in general, it is the object of my invention to provide an improved socket wrench set of the class above referred to. i i I Other objects and advantages of themvention will be understood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawing in which I have illustrateda socket wrench set packed in a holder embodying one form of my inventlon.

In the drawing:

Fig.1 is a plan, an element of the socket wrench set proper being omitted to more clearly illustrate the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation.

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the left hand end of Figs. 1 and2; and

Figs. 1 and 5 are sections on the lines H and55 respectively, of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the drawing, the socket wrench set proper herein contemplated comprisesa plurality of sockets preferably of a predetermined range of sizes, a ratchet handlell, a connecting stud 12 for connecting the ratchet handle 11 with the sockets 10, and a bent end handle member 13. The sockets 10 are each provided at one end with ianopening adapted to snugly receive one end of the connecting stud 12 which is pref- PATENT; OFFICE.

ASSIGNOR, BY MESNEI ASSIGNMENTS, T0 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF SOCKET WRENCH SET AND HOLDER THEREFOR 1929. Serial No. 356,950.

'erably provided with pair of spring ed to snugly receive one end of the connectingstud 12, theother end of which fits into one of the sockets 10 so as to operatively connect the ratchet handle and socket. The construction. of the ratchet handle member 11 forms no part of the present invention, and hence, the details thereof need not be illustrated or described but the same may be of any suitable construction. As shown in the drawing, the opening in the ratchet head member 15 is hexagonal in shape and it will be understood that the stud 12 is also of hexagonal cross section, and that, the openings in thesockets are correspondingly heX- agonal shaped. I I I The handle member 13 consists of a straight bar part 16 having a bent end portion 17 which is adapted to fit into the hexagonal. openings of the sockets. The handle member 13 may conveniently be referred to as a bent end handle member having a bent end and a straight end, this handle member being desirable when comparatively heavy work is to be done which might possibly be too heavy to be accomplished by the ratchet handle member.

My improved holder for a socket wrench set proper such as above described includes an elongated tray 18 having side walls 19 and 20, end walls 21 and 22 and a bottom 23. As clearly. shown in Fig. 1, the tray 18 is tapered from its wide end 21 to its narrow end 22 so that the sockets 10 will fit fairly snugly therein when progressively arranged in a row according to their sizes.

For retaining the sockets in the tray, I providea' retaining member 24; which extends lengthwise over the tray and overlies the row of sockets so that the latter retaining member 24 is adj ustably connected to the tray 18 by means of a straddle member 25 which includes a top portion 26 and depending arms 27 and 28. The top member 26 is riveted to the bottom wall 29 of the retaining member as shown at 30 and an. ear 31 bent downwardly from the said bot tom wall 29 into a notch 32 in the top member 26, serves to prevent pivotal movement of the retaining member 24 about the rivet 30. The arms 27 and 28 of the straddle member are respectively pivoted to the ide walls 19 and 20 of the tray 18 by suitable means as rivets, as shown in Fig. 3. It will be seen that the socket retaining member 24 may be adjusted from closed or operative position, as shown in full'lines in Fig. 2, to open or inoperative position as shown in broken lines in Fig. 2, by swinging or pivotally moving the retaining member about the pivotal connections between the arms 27 and 28 and the respective sides of the tray. Means will presently be described for locking the free end of the retaining member 24 in closed position.

The retaining member 24 is provided with means for receiving and positioning the ratchet handle member 11 and also the connecting stud 12. For positioning the ratchet handle, the retaining member 24 is provided with upwardily extending side walls 33 and 34 which extend upwardly from the bottom wall 29 thereof and which form, in effect, an open ended receptacle into which the ratchet handle fits fairly snugly, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Ears 35 and 36 are provided integral with the retaining member 24 and extend upwardly and inwardly over the top of the ratchet handle adjacent one end thereof to prevent upward displacement of the handle. The retaining member 24 is also provided with ears 37 and 38 adjacent the pivoted end of the retaining member, which ears extend upwardly and inwardly over the head end of the ratchet handle to prevent upward displacementthereof at that end.

It will be seen that the ratchet handle is effectively held against lateral displacement in the receptacle formed on the retaining member 24 and, further, that longitudinal movement of the handle member is limited in one direction because of the enlarged head end or" the ratchet handle which engages conforming portions of the side walls 33 and 34. For releasably holding the ratchet handle in the position above described and shown in the drawing, and also for preventing accidental endwise dis- Jlacement of the ratchet handle, I provide the side walls of the retaining member with indentations such as shown at 39 and 4!), which frictionally engage the sides oi. the ratchet handle member. The retaining member side wall portions and car portions in which the indentations 39 and 40 are formed, are sutliciently flexible and resilient to permit the ratchet handle member to be displaced by the application of slight pressure to the handle member in an endwise outward direction.

The retaining member is also provided with means for receiving the connecting stud 12, this means comprising a pair of ears 41 and 42 which'are struck up from the retaining member, the free end of which is preferably given a more or less cylindrical shape as indicated in the drawing, to closely fit the'co'nnecting stud. End portions of the retaining member 24 are preferably bent up as shown at 43 and 44, to position the stud so that the same will not readily be accidentally displaced from its packed position. As shown in Fig. 1, the stud 12 is shaped at one end so as to be servicable as a screw driver element adapted to be operated by means of the ratchet handle or by means of the straight end handle which may be connected to the stud through the agency of one of the sockets 10 which is provided with the proper size opening at both ends.

The bent end handle member 13 may conveniently be held in packed position by being superposed over the ratchet handle member with its bent end 17 fitting in the opening of the ratchet handle as clearly shown in the drawing. The straight end of the bent end handle member is disposed over the connecting stud 12 and is adapted to be locked in position by means of a latch member 45 which consists of a back wall 46, integrally formed side walls 47 and 48 and a top wall 49. As best shown in Fig. 5, the end wall 46 terminates adjacent the top edge of the end wall 22 of the tray 18 and the side Walls 47 and 48 are respectively pivotally connected to the side walls 19 and 20 of the tray. The pivotal connection may be offected by any suitable means, forinstance rivets substantially as shown in Fig. 5.

The side walls 47 and 48 of the latch member extend upwardly so as to embrace the end socket 10 and then taper inwardly slightly, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to fit snugly over the edges of the socket retaining member 24 adjacent the end of the latter, thereby to lock the said retaining member in closed position. Theside walls 47 and 48 continue upwardly and join in forming the top wall 49 which, as best shown in Fig. 2, is shaped to fit closely over the straight end of the handle member 13. The top wall 49 is indented or offset as indicated at 51 to snap over a spring pressed ball member which is provided inthe said handle member in the usual manner for the usual purpose.

It will be seen by an inspection of Fig. 2 that the latch member 45 is releasably locked in closed'position by means of the yielding,

spring pressed ball 50, and that the same may be swung to unlocked position substantially as shown in broken lines at the right hand end of Fig. 2. When the cap or latch 5 member 45 is thus unlocked, the bent end handle member 13 may readily be removed by simply withdrawing the bent end 17 thereof from the element 15 of the ratchet handle member. If it is not desired to use 1 the ratchet handle member 11, the same need not be removed from its holder since the holder may obviously be swung to its open position as shown in broken lines in Fig. 2, while both the ratchet handle member 11 and connecting stud 12 remain in packed position in the holder. The sockets are then readily accessible for use in con nection with the bent end handle 13 or otherwlse.

I am aware that changes may be made in the above described arrangement and in the construction of the parts without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which should be determined by reference to the following claim, the same being construed as broadly as possible consistent with the state of the art.

I claim as my invention:

Ina socket wrench set, the combination of a plurality of sockets, a tray receiving said sockets in a row, a socket retaining member overlying said sockets and pivotally connected to said tray adjacent one end thereof, a ratchet handle member disposed over said retaining member, said ratchet handle having an opening adjacent one end, means formed integral with said socket retaining member for releasably holding said ratchet handle in packed position on top of said retaining member, a bent end handlemember superposed on said ratchet handle with its bent end fitting in said ratchethandle opening, and adjustable means adjacent the other end of the tray for engaging the straight end of said bent end handle for locking the latter in packed position, said adjustable means being incidentally operative to lock said socket retaining member in closed position, the engaged straight end portion of said bent end handle being provided with a yielding member cooperating with a part of said adjustable locking means for releasably maintaining the same in locked position.

HAROLD G. RICE. 

